Method of and apparatus for printing and dyeing



A. B. PQSCHEL July 3, 1934.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PRINTING AND DYEING Filed Aug. 25. 1932 15/ V EN TOR. $491 5 90225.9; 3 I

I A TTORN E Y5.

Patented July 3, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE IVIETHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PRINT- ING AND DYEING Application hugust 25, 1932, Serial No. 630,337

8 Claims.

This invention relates to the dyeing and printing of fibrous materials and more specifically to the piece dyeing and printing of textile materials, cotton, wool, etc.

Various attempts have hitherto been made by printing to produce four color half-tone designs on textiles such as silk. These attempts have- 133 to 155 lines to the inch is partly lost in the spaces between the tops of the individual round threads forming the textiles. This condition results in a substantial loss of continuous color graduation, the very effect intended by such method of printing.

It is the principal object of my invention to provide a process by which designs obtained by photo-mechanical or auto-mechanical reproduction can be faithfully printed on fibrous materials and in particular on sensitive and stretchable textiles, such as silk.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will appear from the following description thereof taken in connection with the attached drawing which illustrates one form of apparatus for carrying out the process.

The highly satisfactory results obtained through practice of the process of the present invention are attributed to the use in a particular way of a transfer sheet composed of or having on its face a layer of a plastic, adhesive composition insoluble in a solvent employed to dissolve or convey the dye from the transfer sheet.

In its broadest aspects the instant invention comprises printing a design produced by photomechanical reproduction on a transfer sheet of the above nature, contacting said sheet with the textile or other fibrous material under pressure if necessary to obtain complete contact and therebefore, during or thereafter applying a solvent to the dye on the sheet. In this process, the solvent dissolves or releases the dye and causes it to penetrate into the textile while the textile is in contact with the transfer sheet. Lateral movement of the dissolved or released dye in the textile is, to a large extent prevented by the properties of the transfer sheet which results in clear and sharp line printing.

The transfer sheet employed in the present process is suitably composed of a paper backing having a layer of a plastic, adhesive composition coated on its face. This composition has preferably as its principal constituent a quantity of rubber latex though other materials may be employed.

To give the coating desirable or necessary properties such as adhesiveness toward the backing, toward the dye to be printed thereon and toward the textile or fibrous material to be printed from the sheet, other chemical compounds are included in the coating composition. In view of the fact that the composition and methods of compounding the same are described in great detail in ape plicants copending application Serial No. 560,245, of which the present application is a continuation in part, only one detail formula together with a few other equivalent or suitable compounds will be described herein.

The coating of the transfer sheet may satisfactorily contain the following compounds in the proportion indicated:

Parts Rubber latex (60%) 40 Dry casein 10 Zinc stearate 5 Water -100 Paraflin emulsion 5 Formalin (40%) 2 Triethanolamine 3 Tothis composition there may be added if desired, to suit some special conditions, also a small quantity of vulcanizing agents, such as ammonium sulphate or tetramethylthiuram disulphide, or zinc oxide or titanium oxide may be added to give a whiter coating.

In place of rubber latex there may be used a pre-vulcanized rubber latex or any other substance including synthetic products having the same general properties of plasticity, substantial impermeability to the dye and dye solvents employed and adhesiveness initially or upon heating.

The coating is insoluble in the solvents such as alcohol or water, etc., used as the vehicle for the dye stuff to be applied thereto. Inasmuch as the coating retains its impermeability and other properties over a substantial period of time, the sheets may be satisfactorily stored, a quality necessary in commercial practice. Furthermore, the coating is impervious to the dyes and prevents their absorption in the backing of the transfer sheet and also prevents the dyes from running in the textile as would occur if a plain paper transfer sheet were used.

The nature of the dye ink employed is obviously dependent on the nature of the textile as to whether it is silk or wool or other fiber. Its nature is also obviously dependent on the type of printing employed as to whether it be type, rotogravure or lithographic or reproduced by automechanical means. For silk printing, the dye is preferably of the acid or substantive type. A typical formula of such a dye ink for rotogravure printing is as follows:

100 gr. 300 cc. 150 gr. 100 cc. 10 cc. 10 co. 10 cc.

This dye is velvety, preferably non-crystalline and non-fixed and will be readily released by the solvent mixture hereinafter disclosed.

Dye inks of this general formula printed on the transfer sheet may be stored for long periods without loss of working qualities.

The use of a proper dye is important, as the afiinity of the dye for the textile material determines the intensity of the dyeing as well as its durability. The vehicle of the dye stuff ink should preferably be slightly adhesive either normally or under heat. The use of an adhesive vehicle causes the transfer sheet to adhere even where the adhesive coating on the transfer sheet is entirely covered by dye inks. A transfer sheet acid dye acetone divinyl resin methyl alcohol dibutyl phthalate lye (concentrated) castor oil.

having a thermoplastic dye stufi ink may be stored with less danger of deterioration. If the proper dye is used it will be found that the dyeing is as intense and. as durable as in ordinary textile printing. Any material or conditon, however, that would tend to prematurely fix the dye layer on the dye film must be avoided. The extent of the penetration of the dye into the fibrous material depends on the amount of solvent used and the nature of the fibrous material. Textiles of the thickness of crepe silk can be successfully dyed all the way through.

The amount of solvent used to dissolve or release the dye in contact with the textile must be carefully controlled to insure a uniform result. Too much solvent will give blurred details and too little solvent will give imperfect dyeing. It may be desirable, however, to use a thickener with the solvent but such is usually not necessary, inasz 'rh as the concentrated dyes act in this capacity to a certain extent.

The solvent employed in any particular case must be one which will dissolve or release the particular dye used and preferably is one which will release the full tinctorial capacity of the dye. It is. desirable that the solvent be one which completely liquefies and releases the dye from the support.

The solvent used may be and preferably is a mixture of liquids. Suitable liquids include alcohol, (which is readily absorbed by silk) water, weak acids, such as acetic acid, dilute sulfuric acid, oil emulsions and solutions of Glallbe salt,

tannin, or tartar emetic. In the transfer of acid dyes, a solvent found suitable is composed of parts of a 95% solution of ethyl alcohol, 10 parts of a 36% solution of acetic acid and 10 parts of water.

-In dyeing pure silk textiles it has been found desirable to press the silk onto the transfer sheet under a slight temperature so that the plastic layer will adhere to the silk before the solvent is applied thereto.

' It is also often desirable to heat the textile and sheet immediately before, during or after the application of the solvent. If desired, the solvent itself might be heated. This heating accelerates the transfer of the dye into the textile.

In preparing the transfer sheet, the latex or other plastic composition is applied in a coating of I suitable thickness to the paper or other material in any desired manner.- When the coating has dried, the printing of the dye film is done preferably on a; printing press or a textile press which permits printing from a web in one to six colors. Rotogravure printing is preferred though relief printing is possible. The rotogravure plates or printing cylinders are produced by the usual photo-mechanical reproduction methods either corresponding to the ordinary rotogravure method by the use of carbon tissue, a rotogravure screen or by using screen negatives or positives which are deep etched.

The actual use of the transfer sheet in dyeing will be described with reference to the accompanying drawing which is a diagrammatic representation showing in elevation the ends of the rollers and of the transfer sheet, textile, etc.

In the drawing a roll 10 contains the printed transfer sheet or web 14 and the roll 12 the textile 16, to be printed. The transfer sheet and textile pass together between a pair of rollers 18 for contacting and to a certain degree molding the two together.

In the preferred procedure a solvent carrying material 20, is passed from a roll 19, together with the transfer sheet and textile through the pressure rollers 22. The material 20 is given its proper amount of solvent by contact with a roller 21, revolving partially submerged in the solvent 23.

It has been found desirable in some cases to pass the three webs through a second pair of rollers as indicated at 24. The second pair of rollers may be used to heat the material or to increase or prolong the pressure or merely to prolong the period of contact or for two or more of these purposes.

After passing through the roller 24 the three webs are separated, the printed textile passing to the roll 28, the transfer sheet to the roll 26, and the carrier material to the roll 30.

As the textile and the transfer sheet pass from the calendar 24, the solvent may if desired be quickly evaporated by air blowers or ventilating apparatus (not shown). The printed textile may if desired be further aerated to completely discharge all solvent smells. If desired the textile may also be steamed to improve the fastness of the colors or may receive any further usual textile finishing treatment.

The solvent carrying material 20 is suitably composed of a neutral absorbent paper or cotton goods. During the passage of this material through the rollers 22 and also 24, if the same are used, the solvent carried therein by the combination of pressure and capillary attraction is and caused to pass through the back of the textile into contact with the dye on the transfer sheet whereby the dye is dissolved or released, leaves the sheet and passes into the textile. In some cases, it has been found desirable to pre-moisten the textile with the solvent or with other liquid to assist the solvent carried by the absorbent material 'in passing through the textile. The dye as it is transferred is taken up exactly in correspondence with the printed design formation. Lateral spreading of the dye, as hereinbefore mentioned, is prevented by the close contact of the plastic composition and the textile.

When textiles are printed which are thick, making it impractical to apply the solvent from the back side, the solvent may be introduced on the front side wholly or in part. In this case a solvent atomizing device 32, is provided in a position to apply the solvent to the face of the textile in carefully controlled amounts before the same enters between the rollers 18. It may be desirable in some cases to apply a part or all of the solvent to the transfer sheet itself, as through the atomizing device 31. In either of these cases the dye and solvent employed must be of such nature that the latter will not dissolve or release the former until pressure is applied or until a heating is affected.

The rollers 18 are provided with burners 34 which may be employed to aid in releasing the dye and/or aid in molding the transfer sheet and textile together. The rollers 22 and 24 are ,likewise provided with burners 36 serving the same purpose as burners 34. It should be understood that any other form of heating (or heating apparatus), may be used, such as steam. Also the heating, if the same is to be employed, need not necessarily be applied only through the rollers, for ovens may be provided at any point desired.

While heat is not necessary, for the obtaining of the desired tackiness of the rubber latex coating, it is necessary for this purpose with other coatings considered within the scope of the present invention. With all coatings, heat may be desirable merely as an accelerator.

On rare occasions it may be necessary to use a solvent to aid in the stripping of the printed textile from the transfer sheet, but moderate force alone is usually suiiicient.

The smooth and resilient surface of the latex or other coating of the transfer sheet reproduces faithfully the tone values and tone graduation of the printing plates or printing cylinder. Furthermore, by its peculiar adhesive property the coating material retains the full amount of dye ink from the pits or dots of the printing surface.

The disadvantages in ordinary textile printing are avoided inasmuch as the film material or coating will be molded to follow the inter-spaces between the threads forming the textile and the increase in pressure will be effective without falsifying the required color blending and without interfering with the color shading.

An important advantage of the instant process is that the dissolved dyes act gradually on the fibers, dyeing them perfectly with the result that a continuous tone effect of graduated color shades or tints can be produced, which has not heretofore been duplicated in ordinary textile or printing methods. The screen dot formation of the design also cannot be detected as can be done in direct printing.

I claim:

1. The method of dyeing a base material by transfer, which comprises the steps of applying a freely releasable color design to a transfer sheet having a resilient layer, adhesively contacting said transfer sheet and the base material and transferring the color from the transfer sheet to the base material under heat and pressure in the presence of a solvent for said color body.

2. The method of dyeing a base material with a plurality of superposed colors by transfer which comprises the step of applying a freely releasable color design of superposed colors in half and full tones to a transfer sheet having a resilient layer, applying said transfer sheet to the base material and transferring the color body to the base material in the presence of a solvent for said color body and pressure.

3. The method of dyeing a base materialb transfer which comprises the step of applying a freely releasable half tone color design to a transfer sheet having a resilient color-releasing layer, applying said transfer sheet to'the base material and transferring the color body to the base material in the presence of a solvent for said color body and pressure.

4. The method of dyeing and printing textiles in multi-colored designs by transfer which comprises photographically reproducing a design on a transfer sheet having non-stretchable characteristics and a resilient layer separately applying a plurality of freely releasable colors in superposed relation to the respective portions of the design, adhesively contacting the transfer sheet and the textile base material and simultaneously 11C transferring the coloring matter from the transfer sheet to the textile in the presence of a dye solvent. p

5. The method of dyeing and printing textiles inmulti-colored designs by transfer which com- 115 prises photographically reproducing a design on a transfer sheet having non-stretchable characteristics and a resilient layer, separately applying a plurality of freely releasable colors having adhesive qualities to the respective portions of the 12( design, adhesively contacting the transfer sheet and colors to the textile base material and simultaneously transferring the coloring matter from the transfer sheet to the textile in the presence of a dye solvent. 125

6. The method of dyeing a stretchable textile with full tone and half tone photographically reproduced designs by transfer which comprises the step of photographically reproducing a design in full tone and half tone on a transfer sheet having a resilient layer and of substantially non stretchable characteristics, applying coloring matter to said transfer sheet, contacting said transfer sheet and textile-material together,.applying a dye solvent and continuously compressing the textile material and transfer sheet in the presence of said dye solvent to simultaneously transfer half tone and full tone portions of said design.

transfer sheet and textile material together, applying a dye solvent, continuously compressing the textile material and transfer sheet in the presence of said dye solvent to simultaneously transfer half tone and full tone portions of said design, and subsequently stripping the plastic adhesive composition of the transfer sheet from the textile material after the transfer is completed.

ALFRED B. P6scHEL. 

